New York Mayor Mamdani says Netanyahu is not welcome in the city
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in the city after his administration concluded that local authorities have no independent legal power to enforce the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant against him.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people. He is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people, for the maiming of tens of thousands of children, as those who survive undergo amputation without anaesthesia, for the targeting of neonatal hospitals and maternity care centres, denying newborns even the chance to live,” Mamdani said.
“The list goes on and on. All as we, as Americans, pay for the bombs that do the killing,” he added.
The statement followed a legal review by Mamdani's administration into whether New York City could detain Netanyahu if he travelled to the city.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does. And I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” he said.
The ICC issued the arrest warrant on November 21, 2024. It alleges that Netanyahu bears responsibility for the war crimes of using starvation as a method of warfare and intentionally directing attacks against civilians, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
Israel rejects the allegations and the court's jurisdiction, saying its military targets Hamas and other armed groups and accusing the ICC of political bias.
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, accused Mamdani of repeating "blood libels" and said his position would not prevent Netanyahu from travelling to New York.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz dismissed the proposed arrest as "pure political theatre."
US President Donald Trump also rejected the prospect of Netanyahu's arrest, saying the Israeli leader "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America."
The United States is not a member of the ICC and does not recognise the court's jurisdiction over American and Israeli nationals.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
